Phineas Wolcott Cook Goshen Papers Introduced at 2011 Cook-A-Rama

Transcription

1 PAGE 1 MARCH, 2012, Phineas Wolcott Cook Goshen Papers Introduced at 2011 Cook-A-Rama Part I of a series documenting The Goshen Papers By Janet Porter At the Cook-A-Rama on Sept. 30, 2011, Janet Porter discussed papers she had found in the Church History Archive concerning Phineas Wolcott Cook. The following is the first part of a series of stories which will run in future Cook Family Organization Newsletters detailing the information found in those papers. Part 1 For the past few years I have done a thorough study of documents in the Church History Archive in an effort to find documents by or about Phineas Wolcott Cook. In 2010 I discovered a transcribed document about Goshen I was almost certain was his writing. Yet there was no author listed and no way to prove the author. The source listed for the document was Goshen Ward Minutes, but since that item was not listed in the Archive Catalogue I asked a librarian to help me find it. Neither of us could locate the source; it appeared not to be in the library. The document was part of a BYU study of the town of Goshen, Utah, done in 1979 by a man named Alan Overstreet. In an effort to find the original source, I did a Google search for his name and Janet Porter found his address in Lehi. On August 23, 2010 I wrote a letter to him, asking the source and location of what I had read. He e- mailed me the paper he wrote, which listed the exact source in a footnote. With that paper in hand, INSIDE THIS ISSUE (Continued on page 3) PRESIDENT S MESSAGE We are glad to send you the spring, semiannual news letter. It is your main, continuing connection with the Cook Family Organization. A significant amount of effort and time goes into preparing the newsletter for distribution. We encourage you to read the newsletter, and send us some feedback of subjects you would like to see inserted in future newsletters. We are pursuing the goal to have most newsletters sent by . Please send us your address, if you have not already sent it to us, to help us reduce the number of hard copies of the newsletter. The reduced paper cost will enable us to apply more of dues paid to genealogical research. The increase in annual dues paid in 2011 is very helpful to expand the genealogical research projects that can be conducted and, hopefully, overcome some research roadblocks. We are interested to find family members interested in (Continued on page 4) Origins of the Name Wolcott Identified 2 PWC Descendant Project started 2 Journal Image from PWC Papers 3 Use of Dues Explained 4 Henry Cook Series 5

2 PAGE 2 Origins of the name Wolcott Identified For many years, we have wondered how Phineas Wolcott Cook came by his middle name. Resent research by several of his Descendants has uncovered family connections and historical details which may answer that question. There are 3 connections the Cooks had with the Wolcott Family of Connecticut which may have been factors in the choice of Phineas middle name. These include marriage, legal and military connections. Family connections: Oliver Wolcott, of Litchfield, Connecticut, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, a General in the Connecticut Militia and a governor of Connecticut. All of his children were born in the town of Litchfield, where Oliver died in Irene Churchill, the mother of Phineas, grew up in Litchfield during that same time. The ancestors of all these families had connections in Guilford as well as Litchfield. In addition, Oliver lived with his brother, Alexander Wolcott, in Goshen, Connecticut for a short time. Oliver and Alexander were also investors and land owners in Wyoming, Pennsylvania as were the Churchill and Porter ancestors of Phineas. The Cooks would have known many of the Wolcott ancestors. One example is that one member of the Collins family married Oliver Wolcott and her cousin married Walter Cook, brother to Daniel Cook, Sr (the Great-Grandfather of Phineas.) Also, Phineas Porter and Churchill ancestors had married into both the Collins and Wolcott families. The Legal and Business Connections: The political and judicial careers of the Wolcotts were well known to the Cook family. Oliver Wolcott was the Sheriff of Litchfield and a probate judge. While living in Litchfield, Oliver was elected to the Continental Congress and was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Near the end of his life he became Governor of Connecticut. His son Frederic Wolcott was also a Litchfield County Official. Interestingly both men adjudicated Cook, Churchill and Burgess family probate and land documents. The Military Connections: Oliver Wolcott was a Colonel of the 17 th Regiment of the Connecticut State Militia prior to the War for Independence. The regiment was comprised of men from Litchfield, Goshen, Torrington and Winchester. Because the colony of Connecticut required all able-bodied men to affiliate with the militia at the age of sixteen, this would have been the regiment of Daniel Cook, Jr. the grandfather of Phineas Wolcott Cook. His brothers Philip and Amasa are actually found on the muster rolls. Jonathan Churchill and John Porter, maternal grandfathers of Phineas Wolcott Cook, are found in the militia records as soldiers in the battle of Long Island under the command of General Oliver Wolcott. Benjamin Porter, the great uncle of Phineas, is known to have enlisted in Goshen. Most of these enlistments took place at the home of Oliver Wolcott. It is clear the families were interconnected and that Phineas and Irene (Churchill) Cook represented these associations in the middle name choice for their son Phineas Wolcott Cook. There is one other Wolcott/Cook family connection that is little known but should be of interest to the descendants of Phineas Wolcott Cook. Our Grandfather was the proxy for Oliver Wolcott s vicarious bap- (Continued on page 7) PWC Organization Starts Project To Record PWC Descendants Most of us are four or five generations from Phineas Wolcott Cook. You know how you fit into the big picture, but the family organization does not know. In fact, records have never been kept for the children, let alone the grand and great-grand children of Phineas and his wives. In the past we have made a descending pedigree booklet with names only. Now we wish to document those names so we know birth dates and places, death and marriage information. We want to know, as far as possible, how you know that information so it can be documented. And we want to have it down as many generations as you re willing to go. Therefore we are embarking on a grand adventure to record and document all the ancestors from you back to Phineas. The only way we can do it is with your help and with the help of the Family Representatives. You know you ve needed to do this for a long time. Now is the time. Here s what you can do. 1. Collect all the information your family has to document your parents, grand parents and great- (Continued on page 4)

3 PAGE 3 Phineas Goshen Papers found (Continued from page 1) I again went to the Church History Archive where the source was said to be located. The librarian did indeed find the title on his computer, but it was made very clear to me the Goshen Ward Minutes were restricted to the public and I would never be granted access. I presented my case as best I could. The transcription I had found was not secret information. It described the settling of the town of Goshen, including letters to and from Brigham Young. Although my ancestor s name was not written on the document, I was certain he had written it. How could that be restricted information? But the librarian was adamant. There would be no access to the document or the film. I was astounded. How could a man s journal-- which it obviously was be withheld from his descendants? Being a missionary at the Family History Library, I went back at different times and on different days, hoping to find a librarian who would take pity on me. It took five or six tries before I found a female librarian who listened with sympathy to my questions. Finally she allowed me to view the film series. I went through the first film and found nothing but minutes of Goshen church meetings in the 1920 s and 1930 s. The second film also had minutes of meetings from the Twentieth Century. Then, sandwiched between sections of early Twentieth Century minutes, was a collection of documents labeled Goshen Ward Minutes The first pages were ward minutes. However, within twenty minutes I had found the journal forty pages of handwritten papers written by Phineas Wolcott Cook documenting his discovery of and the settling of Goshen. Apparently the first page was missing because the journal began mid-sentence, but there was no question in my mind who had written it and that this was a family treasure. Continuing past the journal I discovered personal letters to Phineas and copies of other letters he had written, a habit he continued for many years. It was an important family discovery buried in a file restricted by the church. Before leaving the library I filled out a request to view restricted material. Describing what I had found, I explained the importance of gaining access to these documents. The mature journals of Phineas had been destroyed by his descendants in a fire behind the house after he died. The only thing written by him during this period of his life was locked up in a file to which we had been denied access. Would they please reconsider? After two months I called the Archive to see if Buried in the file was this certificate signed by Jedediah M. Grant naming Phineas Wolcott Cook the first Water Master of Salt Lake City in they had lost my letter because I hadn t heard a word from them. They claimed it takes a long time to consider such a request. I waited six months for a reply. Finally on February 13, 2011 an Archive specialist informed me I would be allowed access to the documents if I would promise not to make public any sensitive information I found. Not only was I granted access, but I was given the original documents from which to make a transcription. After several weeks, as the full extent of the task before me became known, Catherine Rasband came to help. With both of us working one day every week, we finished the end of August, after which I requested images of the 57 pages which were personal documents belonging to Phineas. Their approval meant the family organization would have to pay $300 for scanned images. Gratefully I accepted on the spot, knowing there would be generous membership funds to cover the cost. The re- (Continued on page 7)

4 Message From Guy Cook, President (Continued from page 1) genealogy who would be willing to participate in genealogical research projects. Efforts continue to improve and expand the website, and further related projects are being developed. We encourage you to learn how to tap into the website for further enlightenment. Retirements, illness, and deaths have resulted in the need for family members to replace persons who have served in capacities of directors of the Howland, McCleave, and Poulson families. We need family members to serve as family representatives in six of the seven Ann Eliza Howland child sub organizations. Please contact Guy Cook, LaMar Day, or Janet Porter, Genealogist, if you would be interested in serving in any of the three areas of need for replacements. It is seven months until the next COOK-O-RAMA the first week of October We encourage to plan to attend the event and mark your calendars accordingly. You will be rewarded by attending to learn more about the operation of the Cook Family Organization, greet members you may have not seen for some time and to become acquainted with other family members. The event is held in Bountiful, and full details will be included in the next newsletter to be distributed the first of September Best regards, Guy R. Cook, President PAGE 4 What do they do with my dues? Money is tight. None of us can afford to donate to every cause. Why should I pay dues to the Phineas Wolcott Cook Family Organization? In August of this year Janet Porter and Catharine Rasband completed a seven-month transcription project at the L.D.S. Archive which is now called the Church History Library. Documents the family has never seen, written by Phineas himself, were made available for a short time. Because they are in a secure file with other sensitive documents, no one in the family had ever been allowed to see them, nor ever will again. After the transcription was completed we requested permission to have the documents scanned so we could have permanent access to his Goshen journal and letters. The Church History Library was willing to do it, but the cost was over $300. Knowing the funds were there because generous family members had paid their dues, we were able to secure those images. They are now available at the Cook Family Store on a disk with the complete transcription. Also included is the talk given at the Cook-O- Rama with the history of Phineas Wolcott Cook and his family from It s a little piece of history miraculously preserved for us. Thank you, generous family members, for bringing to us the Goshen journal of our ancestor Phineas Wolcott Cook. If you wish to contribute the Book Store Order Form at the end of this letter provides ways to easily pay dues and make other research contributions. Dues and contributions are deductible as a charitable donation when paying income taxes." PWC Descendant Project Started (Continued from page 2) grandparents all the way to Phineas. You probably have this information already. Or maybe Aunt Edna has it, but you should have a copy too in case Aunt Edna s records are blown away in a tornado. a. Document births, deaths, marriages, missions, even jobs and awards if you wish b. Write or collect histories or autobiographies c. Document whole families, parents and children with as much information as possible. Some of this may be on new.familysearch.org, but it s probably wrong. That s one of the reasons we re interested in getting things right. d. Find, label & copy pictures, 2. Send copies of everything to your Family Representative or directly to Janet Porter. (430 South 450 East, Orem, UT 84097) It will then be added to the family genealogy program and carefully saved in her file. You can see this file at the Cook-a-Rama every year. Pictures will be saved in an acid-free book. If you send your information, your family will be in the file. Otherwise we won t know who you are. 3. Better yet, save everything to your computer, including pictures and histories, and it to Janet. (janetprtr@gmail.com, ) The genealogy and documentation can be recorded in your P.A.F. or other genealogy program and sent as a gedcom to Janet. However you choose, please do it. Don t let your family history die with you. Share it with the family organization so it can be shared with your cousins. Maybe even with your sister in Peoria.

5 March 2012 PAGE 5

6 PAGE 6

7 P.W. COOK FAMILY ORDER FORM All prices include postage The following items are available for your use and enjoyment from the Phineas Wolcott Cook Family Organization 130 N Twin Peaks Dr., Layton, Utah Organizational Dues (Suggested annual donation - $20.00 Available items:: 1. The Posterity of Phineas Wolcott Cook $ Amanda P. Savage Descending Pedigree Book $ Amanda P. Savage Descending Pedigree CD $ Triumph of Testimony, 462 page documented history of PWC to P. W. Cook Diary = Single copies - $7.00 each, 2-6 copies - $6.00 each 7-12 copies - $5.00 each 6. DVD (42 minutes) on the Life of P. W. Cook $ Cook Ancestral Tour Guides $6.00 each (4 or more $5.00 each) Goshen & Litchfield Co., Connecticut Wallingford, Connecticut Salem, Massachusetts State of New York State of Utah 8. Family Fireside Stories -$9.00 Book I (Illustrated Stories of PWC to Marriage) BookII (Illustrated Stories:LDS Conversion) BookIII (Illustrated Stories:Winter Quarters ) 9 PAF CD with complete Cook and Porter genealogy and documentation $ NEW Goshen Transcription, Images and Talk DVD $8.00 Discount: 20% discount on all items above if dues Less ( ) are current or accompany this order Total Bookstore Purchases 11. Donations for Family Research (Tax Deductible) Phineas Wolcott Cook Family Line Ann Eliza Howland Family Line Amanda Polly Savage Family Line Catherine McCleve Family Line Johanna Christine Poulson Family Line Other: Web Site, equipment, etc. Total Paid-Purchases and dues ALLOW 4-6 WEEKS FOR DELIVERY I would be willing to work on the following committees: Family History Committee Research Committee Record Verification Committee Family Web-Master for Web-Site Typing Histories Word Processing Illustrator Newsletter/Mailing Committee Finance Committee Name Telephone # address: March 2012 per family Tax Deductible) PAGE 7 Or contact Glen McMillan at , glenandjanine1@comcast.net Documents from Goshen, Utah found in Church History Library (Continued from page 3) sult is a previously unknown collection of the writings of Phineas Wolcott Cook from 1857 through 1860, even a few pages into It documents a time in his history and in Utah history which is very interesting. Indeed his views on Johnston s Army, Indian troubles, church government, priesthood Phineas named after Oliver Wolcott (Continued from page 2) tism performed in the Endowment House in Latter-day Saints are familiar with Wilford Woodruff s account of his vision when the founding fathers appeared to him to request their temple work be performed. That work was done in August of 1877, except for the baptism of Oliver Wolcott. Phineas Wolcott Cook had been baptized for Oliver in the Endowment House in September, Phineas Wolcott Cook felt a close association with Oliver Wolcott and in spite of his poverty and circumstances related to pioneering, he felt moved to do his temple work. We can only try to piece the connections through the lens of hindsight but Phineas Wolcott Cook was moved by connections and friendship to perform temple work for Oliver Wolcott, signer of the American Declaration of Independence. (Condensed from an article written by Bryson Cook. If you would like a copy of the original article, complete with footnotes and documentation, send your request to bccook@aol.com.) power and many other subjects bring us close to his heart and to the heart of the people of Utah as their federal government threatened to annihilate them. He expressed views on Zion, the future of the church, the necessity for obedience in every situation. He voiced the importance of listening to the spirit, of making peace with one s neighbors, of enduring opposition and criticism with faith, and of keeping one s word. He never doubted the word of God or the counsel of the Brethren; only doubted his ability to build his own strength in the face of trial and opposition. He maintained a standard of honesty and honor no matter what was going on around him. We felt as if a window to his soul had been opened. That window will be revealed in future issues of this newsletter.

8 Phineas Wolcott Cook Family Organization Newsletter PO Box 1558 Layton, Utah PAGE 8 NON-PROFIT U. S. POSTAGE PAID Bountiful, UT Permit No. 203 March, Return Service Requested